


Translucent

by venefica_aura (crankyoldman)



Series: Psychobabble [15]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Break Up, F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-28
Updated: 2009-11-28
Packaged: 2017-10-03 22:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crankyoldman/pseuds/venefica_aura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What is good is not always right. What's right is not always good. On how to give up the girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Translucent

Typically a best friend was supposed to ground someone. That's what he always thought, and while he felt like a fool to admit it now, that's what Valentine used to be.

 

And even while they were acting like children and not speaking, his bursting into his apartment unannounced and sneering at Ifalna reminded him that he couldn't keep her.

 

Keep. That was a silly word. It wasn't a word used for people so much as things. He knew better than to confuse her for an object.

 

But that's what he'd told her, that he'd _kept_ her too long. Ifalna knew a lot of things that a great many people would never completely understand. Just because someone knew, though, didn't mean that they wanted it. Veld knew Ifalna enough to hazard a guess at some of the things she wanted.

 

"We should get your things packed tomorrow. You can catch the train that way."

 

It was the right thing to do. He knew that Gast and Hojo disagreed; one was ambitious, while the other was just a fool. Fools tended to be the good sort, though, and he was still someone that did rather bad things for a living.

 

He could--no.

 

"Veld... you don't always have to do what you should."

 

Was she talking to him or herself? It was hard to tell sometimes. Living with her afforded him some better glimpses at her; there were far more clouds in her sky than he had seen before. Admittedly, it only made him like her more.

 

If she had been as when he'd first met her, he probably wouldn't be so wrapped up in her affairs. Anyone that got involved with Ifalna Hentrani got pulled into the depths. He was just letting go before either of them drowned.

 

"But that's the very definition of a _right_ action."

 

What was good was not always right. And vice versa. He'd never understood before why out of all of them, Tally had picked him. He was the runt back then, and hardly held a candle to certain Turks in regards to performance.

 

Ifalna moved then, and he could smell the mustiness of his couch again. She didn't really smell like anything other than the absence of anything unpleasant. She was strange like that.

 

"In the wrong way. Do you think... I don't know what you think. You're all backwards, Veld."

 

Tally had picked him to be her Second because he never pretended that he wasn't the bad guy for long. It was much harder to forgive the person that gave the order than the shooter.

 

"We need to finish dinner. Wouldn't want the rats to eat the peppers."

 

"There are no rats here. And you're dodging the subject."

 

He really wanted her to survive. Did she need to know _why_ so badly? Valentine knew. If anything, he knew. That was someone that understood survival as well.

 

So why didn't she?

 

"What do you want me to do? You know that it's gotten bad."

 

She muttered to herself, talking to something or someone he didn't know or want to know. "I don't want logic. How can you protect something you refuse to touch?"

 

He hadn't expected that.

 

"Don't you think that being selfish for once would be the right thing? No, not selfish... what's the word..."

 

She was back in front of him, almost kneeling but not quite. Ifalna always wanted to be at eye-level to him, even though she was shorter. Usually she pulled him down to her. She talked with her eyes as much as her mouth.

 

"Irresponsible," he finished for her. That was the sort of thing that Valentine would pull--reckless. Veld would have no problem letting go. He wouldn't. If Valentine was any indication it was holding on that was the problem.

 

"Yes, we can both be irresponsible. We could go to Wutai, I know you like it there."

 

Veld could tell that even she didn't believe it. She had her own responsiblities--whatever the hell they were. Some things he never understood about her.

 

"It's a pleasant fiction. That's all."

 

"But don't you..."

 

"No. I don't." It was the first convincing lie he'd ever been able to tell, judging by her reaction. Tally had always told him that lying was never his strong point, and Valentine only noticed it when he wanted to. Ifalna hardly made a sound when she moved, one instant the entire world was her face and the next he was left with the encroaching smell of decay. Even upper plate dwellings were not without the smell that a city brings.

 

When she finally came back into the living room she had a couple small bags and was wearing that awful magenta dress that never really suited her. Ifalna had told him she only wore it when traveling, so she didn't get lost in the crowds. People had to be blind not to notice her in a crowd.

 

Her world might have been better, but his was more permanent. That's what she was telling him, standing near the door and not putting it off until tomorrow. She could be practical too sometimes.

 

\---

 

He used to like trains, because he hated driving. Now all he thought about was a magenta blur on its way out of town. He supposed that a lot of things would be colored differently now.

 

Veld thought about calling Valentine then, realizing that despite the long spans of quiet months between them that he hadn't moved him from the second position on his PHS's speed dial. Number one was of course Shinra. He never kept her on the dial though, preferring to enter her number every time. It started with a two as well and was a comforting repetition.

 

He pressed three instead. "Anna? This is Veld. I need you to transfer Valentine back."

 

Another train passed by. He realized she hadn't packed any of her extra cooking utensils or herbs. He would have to take care of those later. "When he gets into Midgar see that he's transferred wherever he wants. Oh, and I will be taking his place out in Kalm."

 

There would be enough to keep him busy out there, and there were no trains or snow or filtered light windows. A forgettable town full of forgettable people. He could blend in like a native, people had said that he looked like he was from there.

 

Besides, he couldn't go back to that apartment anyway. Ifalna's kitchen utensils could stand a few months to wait. A few months.

 

"I know, there could be a possiblity of some kind of incursion. I can handle it."

 

He would drive out of town. In situations like this, it was better to steer.


End file.
